Students realize their dream of jet engine

They had the opportunity and took it. It is about four students in their fourth year engineering program at the Luleå University of Technology within Space Engineering and Technical Design. They created a course in aircraft engine technology in which they are designing a small jet engine. The project tests their engineering skills for future employments - and they realize an old dream

The main objective of the project Renata, of which Fredric Carlsvärd is project manager, has been on the drawing board designing a combustion chamber and valve at two existing turbochargers. The uniqueness of Renata TTX2T design (Twin Turbo Cross Tubularcombustor) is that the combustion chamber configuration is linked between the two turbochargers in order inter alia to reduce manufacturing costs and flow losses. It also makes the engine relatively short.

- There are many opinions about what it means to design a jet engine. Either you think it is a difficult and complicated technology, or one would think that it is much easier than it is. Both these views are partially correct, but there are obviously reasons why the market is controlled by a few but major jet engine manufacturers. It is awkward to construct a motor to generate high energy output in the form of temperature and gas flows, and to translate the flow to kinetic energy efficient enough to provide a directional force. There are an incredible number of parameters that affect the energy conversion which is the basis for why jet engine technology could easily be a little complicated, says Fredric Carl Worth.

Projectleader Fredric Carlsvärd

The project is called Renata, it stands for "Reaction Engine for Aerospace Technology Alpha".

- Ever since I was little, I have been interested in jet engines, I borrowed lots of books at the Royal Library in Stockholm, and read like a nerd, just as one can at a certain age. I remember when I opened up the books with pictures of the jet-wow, but I did not understand then how the technology actually worked, and how complicated it really is, says Fredric Carlsvärd.

The uniqueness of Renata TTX2T design (Twin Turbo Cross Tubularcombustor) is that the combustion chamber configuration is linked between two turboaggrega.

The uniqueness of Renata TTX2T design (Twin Turbo Cross Tubularcombustor) is that the combustion chamber configuration is linked between two turboaggrega. Via computer tools, the group has created CAD structures, CFD analysis and mathematical calculations to produce important design parameters. The idea is that their construction should be able to run on gaseous fuels, like hydrogen, natural gas and propane. The biggest challenge has been to design the fuel system.

Other students in the project is Andreas Lindahl from Eslöv studying Space Engineering with focus on Aeronautics, Henrik Grundström from Gothenburg studying Industrial Design focused on product design and Ragnar Skoglund from Halmstad who is studying Space Engineering with focus on Aeronautics.

The project team hopes that their course will start something on the LTU which can have further development.

- Now we will try to ensure that the next students will pick up where we stop, and actually build the jet engine, says Fredric Carlsvärd.